By: Jennifer Redden
The PCHS Wildcat Archery team is preparing for a new season. There are 34 athletes on the roster this year. They are as follows: Kylen Alford, Elizabeth Ammerman, Brenli Bobb, Hannah Cahill, Blake Colvin, Melanie Cortez, Jacob Craig, Joshua Craig, Natalie Cummins, Justin Danna, Samantha Davidson, Gabe Dennison, Isaac Derico, Cataline Furman, Logan Hayslette, Leyah Hyden, Abigail Kopp, Gavin Laney, Caroline Mains, Ruby Mullins, Ryver Newman, Patrick Patton, Emily Renchen, Rylan Rhoton, Lily Rice, Shelby Rice, Miley Smith, Chloe Stamper, Adam Straus, Allie Sweigart, Michael Turner, Kaycee Voet, Conner Whitney, and Shakira Williams. The team is coached by David Myers, Katie Sullivan, Nathan Derico, and Jeff Sears. The four coaches collaborate to coach both the high school and middle school teams.
The Archery team is part of the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) as well as being a KHSAA sport. According to the NASP website, “Archery is a different kind of team sport. It’s open to any student. Through archery, students are learning focus, self-control, discipline, patience, and life lessons required to be successful in the classroom and in life.”
The Pendleton County team has been thriving since its inception ten years ago. Pendleton County has been represented in every state tournament since archery started at PC. The same kind of success is expected this year. According to Head Coach David Myers who is in his tenth season, “We lost several good archers this year, but we also gained several very good freshmen, so I expect a solid performance at the first tournament. That will give us a baseline to improve on as the season progresses.”
The team competes in two-three tournaments a month. The tournaments have archers shoot three times from 10 feet away from the target and then three times from 15 feet away from the target. The highest score possible is 300. The archery team has tournaments lined up at the Mason County Fall Shoot on November 18 and the Pendleton County 2023 Winter Warm up December 1 and 2. More tournament dates will be added after flight selection occurs. The season will continue until the March state competition.
Senior Justin Danna says, “I’m looking forward to my final year with Pendleton County archery. I’ve had a great time doing it and meeting new people on the team. I thank my coaches Mr. Meyers and Ms. Sullivan for helping me and everyone else improve throughout the season. I hope to shoot for success this year!”